Okay, so I'm your average car chic. I love to look, talk about, and travel around to see cars, bikes, and most anything showy. But when it comes down to it I know about as much as your typical UpperClass 12 year old girl when it comes to actually doing anything to the inside of a car.

I went with a friend car shopping and he bought a Honda (won't go there just yet). While we were looking around I noticed this little "gold" maxima sitting all lonely in the corner. I asked the guy about it and he was like "haven't checked it over yet but it seems okay, only want about 1,200.00 for it" So I talked with my friend and I decided to get it.

It's a 1990 GXE, V6. I've already had to replace the waterpump, thermostate, and a coil or soemthing in the ignition. I'm still having some problems with the car and want to know if it's worth the time and money to fix it up. It has 181K and I'm just not sure about it.

Any ideas?

Thanks
I'm up to my ears in tears!

welcome

i believe the color your talkin about is pebble beige..

181k wow; well if treated/maintained well these cars will last.. those problems you had fixed are expected and are nothing out of the ordinary for a 13 yr old car.

How is the rest of the car condition/featurewise.. ie; does it have leather, is the body in good shape, etc

well...all in all it's a pretty good car. It's cloth interior but it looks pretty new. I think the liner and carpet were redone b/c they don't exactly match the rest. There are very few if any small dents in the hood, however the peice that runs down the side is faded and dull. It has a sunroof that is in excellent condition. the handling is very good, and the brakes and acceleration are still in good shape. Except for a slight catch between first and second gear. For an automatic I guess it's good though. (alwasy driven a stick)

My cousin thinks I should keep it and make modifications as my cash flow allows...I'm just not sure where to start or if I should.

Any ideas?

that slight "catch" may be cuz of your power/comfort swtich. Switch it to comfort and the shifts will be easier. Since it's a '90 GXE - exactly like mine, it's a VG (engine) - my thermostat has been replaced twice. P.O.S. install the 1st time.

Okay, so that's what that little thing is. LMAO...I wasn't sure what it was for. Do I need to push this while the car is on or does it matter?

It doesn't really matter. That switch, like bijan gxe said, DOES control the shift points on an auto tranny. You can also leave it in the middle and let the ECU make the shift decisions for you.

Oh, and turn that upside down You've got a good car with a great history. You'll be fine.

I've seen a lot of pics of modifications that I really like. For instance some of the dash stuff. Like colors, and shapes...Where would I find these products and/or who would I need to contact about having them done?

That depends on what you want to get done to your dash. If you're just talking about making your dash a different color, they usually sell the spray-on dye at local auto stores like AutoZone, Checker, Kragens, etc... Shapes, I'm not sure what you're talking about unless you mean putting pods or fabricating something.

well we al help out with ideas.. btw welcome. How di dyou find out about out little cyber hangout?

belive me with proper maintance you max can go well over 200k. there are some that have gone as far a 500k

Thanks, everyone is so nice, and if I'm annoying anyone please tell me as I'm a little hyped that someone actually took some time to help me out.

As far as what I meant about the dash, I'm talking more of like where the spedo, and rpm gauges are located. Like turning them white with black letters/numbers.


I actually stumbled across this site while looking at cardomain, I was checking out some of the maxima's trying to decide if I should keep mine or not. I've always liked the look of them, but I've only known one person who owned one and she complained all the time b/c of the tranny. (now fixed and no more complaints)

I have no idea where to begin if I do keep it and make modifications. I mean, there's so much that can be done and I have no idea what my desired outcome would be. I know formost I need new tires and rims. But other than that I couldn't fathum where to begin.

I'd love someone who could guide me in a smart direction, anyone interested?

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

Me!.. um err.. i mean yes i will be of some service for you

Feel free to email me, or use aim...But please don't let me be a bother, I can be a bit excited about stuff...

not hard at all
just sometimes its get stress full b,c of the extra bolts you are left with everytime you fix your max. or the bolts that dissapear

odd that you mention extra bolts...LOL

What I like

Forgive me if this is not something I'm supposed to do...but I found this on cardomain and it describes what I'm talking about.

Sorry again if I did something wrong b/c I'm not sure.

"extra bolts"... LOL Quit scarin' folks, Izzy.

What you could do about the gauges, would be to get the indiglo gauges that a lot of folks have gotten. Go to my homepage and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'd sell you one of my extra sets, but I've got an SE (145mph speedo), and you've got a GXE (125mph speedo). Either Ebay or one of the aftermarket shops that advertize here like Southwest Auto Works or CustomMaxima will have what you're looking for.

carbon fiber bezel. go on ebay they have them for like 15 bucks + shipping.. that is easy. if you want the white face gauges you have to get them through either ebay or the org. no more than 20-30 bucks.

Izzy.... you're on the set tonite, huh?

I like the indiglo...but what do they look like in the day?

Also, what should I search for when looking for these things on like ebay?

Any ideas on what should be the first thing to fix/modify?

The gauges look pretty much like the link Izzy posted during the day - white background, black letters. Try this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33677

bwaha, it's still got a 1/4 tank of gas!!

that bezel looks familiar

4th gen rims see my sig

I paid 21 shipped for my carbon fiber gauge overlay.

Now I have a set of guages with 102k and a carbon fiber overlay.

MrGone

btw, welcome to the board

yeah, the factory rims are pretty shall we say "worn in" to be nice about it. i thought about going ahead and getting new ones but with limited funds I'm not sure where to turn. What's the best fit/best look for a 90GXE? (rims and tires)

97-99 se 16 inch rims